A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

Time flies, and in two days, Qiao Ni and the others will be returning to Beijing.

Xiao Jingye bought train tickets for the two of them in the city. Qiao Ni insisted on giving him the money for the tickets, but he refused to accept it no matter what.

Qingyan took two days off from school to accompany her aunt and He Yannian on a stroll around the city.

The group revisited their old house, the school campus, and familiar streets, reminiscing about the past along the way.

After wandering around for a while, the group went to find Xiao Jingye where he was working.

Due to the expansion of their business, Xiao Jingye and Zhijie's small warehouse for mountain products has been relocated.

This was Qingyan's first time visiting this place; it was a small factory in the east of the city.

The factory has a dedicated cold storage room and shelves, which can store different kinds of wild game and various mountain products separately.

In addition, a small office was set up inside the factory, which was quite well-organized.

Xiao Jingye led Qiao Ni and He Yannian on a tour of the factory.

After the tour, Qiao Ni sat on the wooden chair in the office, picked up the hot tea that Xiao Jingye had personally brewed, took a sip, and slowly began to speak:

"The business of selling mountain products depends entirely on the season, with a low upper limit to profits and an unstable income. I heard from Qingyan that you are always up in the mountains from dawn till dusk to collect and deliver goods, and when you are busy, you don't even have time to spend with her."

This kind of business is busy and tiring, not only is it very taxing on your health, but it can't really be considered a proper business. What are your plans for the future? Are you planning to deal in mountain products for the rest of your life?

Qiao Ni spoke tactfully, but Xiao Jingye understood her concerns.

Reselling mountain products is hardly a respectable business, and wild game is subject to regulation. One often has to deal with inspections by the industry and commerce and forestry departments, and the slightest mistake can result in the confiscation of goods and fines.

Harvests depend entirely on the weather; the peak seasons of spring and autumn are busy, while the off-seasons of winter and summer offer no profit.

The drying and preservation processes all involve costs, and nowadays there are more and more people in this industry, making the competition fierce and the profits not as high as they used to be.

This line of work has a low social status. People spend most of their time in the mountains and countryside, interacting with local people. They endure wind and sun, earning only hard-earned money by sacrificing their health.

Xiao Jingye sat upright opposite Qiao Ni, his tone earnest and sincere:

"I never intended to sell mountain products for the rest of my life. I just used it as a stepping stone to save up some capital so that I could switch to another industry later."

He Yannian, who was standing to the side, paused slightly while holding his teacup, and looked up at him: "What are you planning to do?"

"Right now, with the relaxation of restrictions on self-built housing in various places, urban units and factories are building new factory buildings and employee dormitories. Furniture factories and construction teams are all short of raw timber. I plan to save up enough capital to open a timber factory and do timber business."

Xiao Jingye's idea only came to him after the incident involving Qingyan, a public school teacher.

He knew he couldn't spend his whole life trading mountain products. In this era of rapid economic development, he believed that engaging in real business was the only way to make a living and build connections with various people.

He had observed carefully that houses were being built everywhere in the city. Building houses required wood, and buying furniture after the houses were built still required wood.

Timber is indispensable in all walks of life, from agricultural tool making and funeral supplies to packaging factories, highway and dam construction, bridge and scaffolding erection, and cofferdam construction.

If he could open a timber factory near a village or town, he could earn more in a year than he would in ten years dealing in mountain products.

Upon hearing this, Joni's eyes lit up, and she looked at him with appreciation.

Xiao Jingye added, "In short, I won't let Qingyan suffer with me."

In the evening, the young couple specially chose a restaurant to treat them to dinner in the city, and Zhijie and Chunya also accompanied them.

During the meal, Xiao Jingye stood up, raised his wine glass, and respectfully toasted the two of them:

"Aunt, brother, let me toast you to thank you for taking care of and loving Qingyan in the past. Don't worry, although I don't have much ability now, I will give Qingyan the best within my ability and never let her suffer any grievances."

Even though she harbored jealousy and resentment towards He Yannian, they would eventually become family, and she had to maintain appearances.

Besides, this is someone Qingyan cares about; he can't ruin their relationship or hurt his wife's feelings.

He Yannian also raised his glass, his gaze fixed on Xiao Jingye:

"You'd better remember what I'm saying today. If I ever find out that you've hurt Qingyan, I will definitely come back and take her away."

Xiao Jingye said with certainty, "You won't have that chance."

Then, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

-

Zeng Yumei prepared a large amount of local specialties in advance, filling bags and packages for Qiao Ni and the others to take away.

Chinese sausages, cured meat, cornmeal, some dried vegetables, and Xiao Jingye's mountain produce were all neatly packaged in bags for easy carrying.

After spending a few days together, Joni gained a deeper understanding of this family.

She understood that Qingyan had married into a good family by a twist of fate.

The naive and innocent sister-in-law is adorable; the mother-in-law, who has difficulty walking, is capable and sensible.

Although Xiao Jingye is not very educated, he is a man of integrity, with good looks and ambition. It seems that Qingyan's life will not be bad in the future.

She could finally rest easy.

On the day of their departure, Qingyan and Xiao Jingye saw them off at the station.

Xiao Jingye knew that Qingyan was reluctant to part with her aunt and brother, so he specially bought two platform tickets and saw them off at the platform.

The platform was bustling with people, and pedestrians carrying large and small bags hurried by.

The green train quietly pulled up beside the tracks. Qingyan's eyes were already red from crying. She went up to Qiaoni and He Yannian and hugged them tightly.

The two places are thousands of kilometers apart, a long journey, and it's hard to say when we'll see each other again.

A faint redness rose in He Yannian's eyes. When he hugged her back, he gently stroked her back to comfort her.

Many words stuck in my throat, unable to be uttered. Finally, I closed my eyes, and all my emotions condensed into a single tear that quietly fell.

"Qingyan, remember to write to your brother often."

"Yes." Qingyan nodded vigorously, her voice choked with emotion.

Xiao Jingye stepped forward and gently pulled her away: "The train is about to depart."

Qingyan raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face and waved goodbye to Qiao Ni and He Yannian.

Soon, a long, drawn-out whistle suddenly rang out across the platform, and the green train clattered along the tracks, slowly disappearing from sight.

-

On the way home, Qingyan lay sullenly on his back, not saying a word the whole time.

But Xiao Jingye's feelings were different.

I haven't had a good night's sleep these past few days at Fang Zhijie's house.

At night, when I can't hold my wife's soft body, I always feel like something is missing, and I have trouble falling asleep.

Tonight I can finally go home and sleep in my wife's arms on the kang (heated brick bed).

After dinner, Qingyan went into the room to tidy up the bedding. As soon as she lifted the quilt, she saw two bundles of money wrapped in paper roll onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

She unrolled the paper rolls and saw that they were full of brand new banknotes, one bundle containing a full ten thousand, and another bundle containing five thousand.

Qingyan's eyes immediately reddened, and she cried out in a choked voice, "Xiao Jingye! Xiao Jingye!"

Xiao Jingye's heart tightened upon hearing the sound, thinking something had happened. He rushed into the house, asking, "What's wrong, wife?"

"My aunt and brother left us money." She held the two stacks of banknotes, tears streaming down her face.

Joni knew that if she were given the money in person, she would definitely not take it, so she secretly hid it under the blanket before she left.

Xiao Jingye's brow twitched slightly as he stared at the money in Qingyan's hand, speechless for a long time.

There was another letter inside the blanket.

Xiao Jingye sat at the desk, held her, unfolded the book, and read to her:

Qingyan:

By the time you see this letter, Yan Nian and I should already be on the train.

We've left you some money. Ten thousand is a token of our appreciation from your uncle and me, and the other five thousand is Yan Nian's savings accumulated over the years, along with his demobilization allowance.

Since we couldn't be there when you and Jingye got married, this money is a belated wedding gift from your aunt's family.

Jingye is a visionary and hardworking young man. I believe that your future will be bright.

May you have peace and good fortune every year.

I remember writing letters to my aunt often.

Joni.

-

After reading the letter, Qingyan buried her face in Xiao Jingye's arms and cried her heart out.

Fifteen thousand yuan is a real fortune in those days; an ordinary family might not be able to save that much in a lifetime.

After Qingyan became a full-time employee, her monthly salary was only sixty yuan, which was equivalent to more than ten years of her salary.

"My aunt is really good. She loves me very much and raises my uncle's child like her own son. She's been so good to all of us... I really miss her so much."

"And my brother, although we are not related by blood, he has always treated me like his own sister."

"Xiao Jingye, how can I ever repay them? My aunt and uncle raised me for so many years, and I can never repay them enough..."

She wept bitterly, her heart overflowing with emotion beyond words.

Xiao Jingye held her in his arms, gazing at the money, his heart filled with complex emotions.

"Don't cry," he gently comforted her. "When we have time, I'll go with you to Beijing to see them, okay?"

"it is good."

That night, Xiao Jingye lay in bed quietly holding her. Even after Qingyan fell asleep, he still didn't sleep.

In the darkness, Xiao Jingye felt a deep tremor within him.

He Yannian's feelings for Qingyan were perhaps no less than his own.

That is a greater kind of fulfillment.

At least he couldn't.